‘Post Card’ application could soon be used in some local elections

Overseas voters could soon be able to use one form to request ballots for federal and some local elections, if the bill is signed by Gov. Rick Perry.

House Bill 396, which gained house approval earlier this month, was passed unanimously on Thursday by the Texas Senate. It was sponsored by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who said that it faced no opposition by her peers.

Currently, military and overseas voters must fill out the Federal Post Card Application in order to temporarily register to vote from outside of the U.S. and, in some cases, to vote early in federal elections. Under HB 396, Texas voters could also use the form to vote in county, municipal and school district elections, Huffman said.

“I think the more people that are able to vote, the better. If you’re overseas, and especially if you’re in the military, and you have an interest in your community back at home, I think you should have the opportunity to vote on the elections,” she said. “Many times the more local elections are just as important as a federal election.”

Easing the voting process for members of the military and other American voters overseas is a priority of Secretary of State John Steen, who was appointed to the position in November. A native of San Antonio, Steen rolled out the “Boots and Ballots Tour” in February, when he visited the state’s major military bases to find out how to ease their voting process from overseas.

“What we’ve found, especially with people in the combat zones, is they love the idea that they get to vote,” Steen said in February. “Of course they’re fighting for our freedoms over there, and one of the most important is the right to vote. It’s something that really helps them, morale wise, to be able to cast their ballot.”